Love of a Sister
by FlamingSpirit206
Summary: When Naruto was cornered by a group of chunin, a girl saved him from a beating. This girl took him to her home and adopted him as a brother. No one but Naruto knows who this girl is. Let's see how Naruto grows up with love from his sister. Not good at summaries ..No pairings yet .. R&R..:)
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

**Prologue: A New Sister!**

A five-year old boy ran as fast as could, trying to escape the mob of angry villagers coming after him. He didn't know why they hate him, they just _do_.

He turned into an alley, hoping to lose the mob. Fortunately, the villagers didn't turn like he did and kept on going, shouting curses and insults at the boy.

The boy sighed in relief, running his hands through his blonde spiky hair. He turned and ran further in the alley, just in case the villagers decided to check them. As soon as he turned, however, he hit a hard surface. He looked up and blue eyes widened as he saw three ninjas, all holding a kunai or a katana.

"Look here, boys. Seems the _demon _wants to play." Said the one the boy bumped into. He was an average looking shinobi with short brown hair and dull-brown eyes. There was nothing noticeable in his appearance.

"P-please. I didn't do anything wrong. Please don't hurt me!" screamed the child. He remembered them from all his previous beatings. They were always the one to land the first and finishing blows.

"Tch. The _demon_ is begging for mercy?!" The other one, a black-haired and green-eyed man, said with venom.

"Why won't we hurt you?! You killed our families and now you'll PAY!" the last man shouted as all three of them lunged at the little boy.

The blonde just curled up in a fetal position, eyes closed as he braced himself for the beating. As a few moments passed without feeling any punches or kicks or stabs, the boy opened his, only to see the face of a girl. She was crouched low, to look at him thoroughly, sapphire eyes looking for any signs of injury.

"W-who are you?" the boy- Naruto- asked, uncertain if she was a friend or a foe.

The girl smiled at him, her blue-black hair framing her heart-shaped face. "I'm Kagome. What's your name, little one?" she asked gently.

"Naruto. Uzumaki Naruto." He answered. He closed his eyes, afraid that she, too, will beat him once she knew who he was. Instead of pain, he felt the girl ruffle his hair.

"'_Maelstrom' _, huh? That's a pretty cool name." Kagome said to him smiling. He stared at her in disbelief. No one complimented him before. All he always got was curses and insults.

The girls stood from her crouching position and wiped the non-existent dust off her skirt. She held a hand to him and helped him get up. She smiled at him again and asked, "Do you have anyone waiting for you at home? I'll walk with you just in case those mean villagers decided to chase you again."

The blonde looked down, tears filled his eyes.

"N-no one is waiting for me. I- I live alone in an apartment. I'm an o-orphan."

Kagome smiled sadly at him. She picked him up and carried him as one would when burping a baby."Don't worry. I'm an orphan, too. I lost my family to a fire. So we're the same, ne?"

The boy didn't say anything, just tightened his arms around her neck as if it could make her know that he understands.

After a few moments of them just walking the streets, the girl asked, "Would like to live with me, Naruto? I could become your 'nee-chan' if you want."

"N-nee-chan?" he asked. "You'll really make me your little brother?"

"Only if you want to, of course."

"Yes!" he exclaimed, hugging her tighter. She giggled softly before everything was silent once more. The boy already fell asleep, a smile on his face.

Shortly, they arrived at a small but homey house, at the edge of the village.

She tucked the sleeping boy on her bed before changing clothes. She brushed her teeth and went to bed, hugging the boy close to her.

Meanwhile, the three ninjas in the alley lay forgotten on the ground, writhing in pain.

**~MORNING~**

Naruto, reluctantly, woke up. He had a great dream about a pretty girl who wanted to be his nee-chan.

He sat up, and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. He took the blanket and jumped of the bed. He made the bed and went to his bathroom, only to notice something. He looked around 'his' room to see that he wasn't in his room. Heck, he wasn't even in his apartment.

He was in an average-sized bedroom with light-blue walls. There was a bookshelf, filled to the brim with books and some scrolls, by the wall opposite the bed. Next to the shelf was a desk with pens and paper and some notebook. Next to the bed is a bedside drawer with a pale pink lamp.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. He heard some sizzling in what he thought was downstairs. He went outside the room and into the hallway. He saw three more doors- another bedroom, a bathroom and a locked room. The two bedrooms were across from each other. The bathroom was next to the spare bedroom while the locked one was next to the bedroom he came out of.

He heard the sizzling once more and followed it down the stairs. He was in the living room. It was a simple one. A coffee table surrounded by two blue sofas with white throw pillows. There was a door to his right which, upon checking, was a stairway down to the basement which held a laundry room and another locked room.

"_Why are there so may locked rooms?" _ He thought. He went back upstairs and went to what he thought was the kitchen and dining room.

The kitchen and dining room was one big room, the kitchen area separated from the dining area by an island. The island already has plates on it, filled with bacons, eggs, sausages and there was orange juice.

"Good morning Naruto." Someone greeted from behind him.

He turned around and saw the lady from his dream.

"K-Kagome..?" he asked.

She raised an eyebrow. "What's the matter, otouto? Still sleepy?"

"Y-Your R-real… that means..." tears filled his eyes as a smile appeared on his face. He ran to the girl and hugged her. "Nee-chan!...I a-actually have a nee-chan."

"Yes, you do." She pulled away from his hug and sat down on one of the island's stools. "Come on. I cooked breakfast. Didn't know what you liked so I just cooked the normal breakfast menu. Bacons, eggs, sausages and orange juice."

"Whoa. There's so many!"

"I made it just for the two of us so you could have as much as you want."

"Really?!" after receiving a nod, he began to gobble down the food like there's no tomorrow.

"Easy there, Naruto. You might choke. And it's not like you're going to run out of food. Eat slowly." Kagome reprimanded.

"Bgh ish sho berishus!" Naruto said, his mouth full of food.

The girl sighed. "And don't talk with your mouth full. Looks like I need to teach you some manners."

The boy swallowed and asked."Ne, Ka-..um..nee-chan.." he said with a small smile, " why are there locked rooms?"

"Oh, those? I just thought that I should lock them up for now."

"Why?"

" Because. The one upstairs is a weapon room. I locked it up until I could train you how to handle a weapon. That way you won't hurt yourself."

"Okay…but what about the other one? The room in the basement?"

"The training room. A dojo filled with some swords. That's where I'll train you, starting tomorrow."

"Oh…why not today?" the boy complained.

" 'Cause today, we'll go shopping for your clothes and stuff. Do you know when you'll get admitted in the academy?"

"Ah.. Hokage-jiji said that I can enroll when I'm six, so I can attend the academy next year."

"hmm.. alright. Your training schedule is studying in the morning, which includes reading, writing, history and such."

"But why do I need to study those? I thought you were training me to be a ninja?" Naruto whined.

"I am. But you need to learn those things, too. They're important, especially if you want to be the Hokage."

"Really?!"

"Yup. You'll need those in signing documents and stuff.. anyways, back on your schedule. An hour and a half after you eat lunch will be physical training. All that ninjutsu stuff can be thought after school when you start the academy. And finally, an hour after dinner, you will do meditation and chakra control. You got that?"

"Yes, sis!"

She smiled at him before standing up and gathering the empty plates. She placed them in the sInk before turning to Naruto. "What are you waiting for? Christmas? Go take a bath. We'll go shopping for Your things."

"Hai!" the blonde grinned widely at the girl before running upstairs and taking a bath while Kagome did the dishes.

"You will become a great warrior, Naruto. I'll make sure of that. I promise on the memories of my friends." The girl muttered to herself, smiling as different marks begun to glow along her arms. The marks disappeared after a moment and Kagome continued washing the dishes.

.

.

.**And that's the end of chapter 1!**

**It's me, Spirit! For those who read my other fic ( Tadaima, Minna-san! . for fairy tail) So So Sorry for not updating…. Been busy lately with high school and stuff… I'm a senior already so I need to focus… I'll still update it when I have time (and when I find my notebook where I write the outline of the chapters…..I swear my little sister took it and burned it)… **

**ANYWAYs, this story isn't mine…The credit all goes to my great friend... JEWELS!... She's the one who typed and made this story...She doesn't have an account—and isn't planning on making one—so she ''asked'' for a favor and let me upload it….Oh…say hey to Jewels!**

**Jewels: *smiles sweetly and curtsies* hello, everyone! I'm Jewels! It's so **_**nice**_** to meet you**

**Spirit: Hey, Jewels! why don't you promote your story?**

**Jewels: Please read ' Love of a Sister.. * smiles innocently while bringing out a katana* or else I'll make the plants grow red with your blood …* smiles turns into a grin * .. And I will enjoy it well…**

**Spirit: *sweatdrops* okaaaaaayy…leaving her bloodlust aside….Please read and review! Bye, minna!**

**Jewels: See you guys later! *Glares* Or else…**


	2. Secret Paradise

**Spirit: I've decided to put all announcements and other things at the start, before every story starts, so I could warn you…**

**Jewels: Why would they need a warning for, it's not like my stories gonna hurt them or something..**

**Spirit: Your stories won't but you, on the other hand, will.**

**Jewels; HEY!**

**Spirit: anyways, since the bloodthirsty baka over there forgot the disclaimer, I'll be the one to say it….**

… **I don't own any of the anime/manga and/or its characters… the plot belongs to Jewels... that's all**

**Jewels: on one side… Thanks for those that reviewed this story... And for those who didn't... *smiles broadly* well… I will hunt you down and-**

**Spirit: Jewels! That's enough! *sigh* anyways…on with the story…**

**Jewels: and review afterwards!... remember *brings out katana* .. I still have my little buddy here to help **_** persuade **_**you**

**Spirit: *sigh* please…just ignore her ( I do) …but do leave a review.. oh.. Jewels still don't have any pairings.. so feel free to leave suggestions..**

**CHAPTER 2: Secret Paradise**

Kagome sighed as she exited another store. Every time she enters a store, a clerk would greet her only to yell at her once they saw who she was with.

"_Really?!" _she thought. "_Is there not ONE store that would allow me to buy some clothes for Naruto? Ugh!"_

She felt a tug on her hand as Naruto abruptly stops.

"Naruto? Is there something wrong?" she asked her little brother.

Said blonde looked down at the ground, a frown upon his face. "Sorry." He mumbled.

Sighing, Kagome pulled him along as they continued to walk through the streets. Naruto kept his head bowed while Kagome looked ahead, occasionally glancing at the boy.

After a few minutes of walking, they arrived at an empty park and sat down at a bench. Naruto stayed quiet and Kagome closed her eyes as a smile graced her lips.

"Ne, Naru, what's your favorite color?" Kagome asked eyes still closed. Naruto raised his head and looked at his sister.

"Orange." He whispered. "My favorite color is orange."

Opening her yes, Kagome gazed at the cloudless blue sky. "Orange... by itself it means energy, warmth and love for attention. It is a combination of red, the color of love and passion, and yellow, the color of happiness and friendship."

The whiskered boy stared at Kagome I shock. "Wow! I didn't know orange meant that. I just like it because it's bright."

Kagome giggled and looked at her little brother. She smiled at him and he smiled back.

"Come on." She said, standing up and holding a hand to Naruto.

"Where are we going?"

"I want you to see something. Come on." Deciding that it took Naruto too long to get up, she reached for his hand and pulled him up. Still holding his hand, Kagome ran out the park and towards the forest that surrounds Konoha but still inside its walls.

"Nee-chan, we're not allowed to leave the village without permission." The little blonde said to his sister as they were running.

"I know," she replied, "but we're not going out the village walls."

"Then where are we going?"

A gentle smile graced her lips, though Naruto was unable to see it. "You'll see. We're almost there."

About five minutes running through the forest, they arrived in front of a cave. Its entrance was hidden by a bunch of leafy vines with some kind of white flowers growing along them. On the right of the entrance, the vines barely covering them were a few writings in Kanji. Not being able to read kanji just yet, he traced his fingers along the carvings.

Kagome grabbed his hand from behind him as she traced the carvings along with him

"Hi" she said as she guided the boy's hand to the first character, "Mi-Tsu-No-Ra-Ku-En."

"Himitsu no Rakuen." She said completely.

"_Secret Paradise_?" he asked her, not completely sure.

"Yup!" she nodded her head. "I found it while I first came here a few months ago. It suddenly started raining and I found this cave. Follow me inside."

Naruto followed Kagome through the cave as she took a few turns. After a while, the young blonde heard the sound of water as they approached an entrance.

When they entered the clearing inside the cave, Naruto stared in awe at the sight before him. In there was a clear blue lake, some fishes swimming peacefully in it. The ground was covered in healthy green grass and colorful flowers of different kinds. The top of the cave had a hole, big enough to let sunshine in to light the whole clearing. What was most peculiar to Naruto was the number of different colored foxes.

"Wow! It's so pretty. And I've never seen so many foxes in my life before! I didn't even knew there were foxes near Konoha." The blonde exclaimed.

Kagome giggled, happy to see her little brother happy again.

"I guess that all the foxes went to live here years ago." Kagome said. She walked towards the lake, Naruto following behind her. They sat near the edge of the lake, some of the more curious foxes sitting around them. Kagome smiled as she picked a white-furred fox kit and began petting it. "I don't blame them, though. It's nice and peaceful here."

Naruto smiled, too, as he picked up a fox kit with dark orange fur and began petting it, too.

They sat there in the comfortable silence as they pet their respective fox kits. More of the foxes came to them with some being brave enough to curl up by the humans' legs.

"Ne, Naruto."

"Hmm? What is it, nee-Chan?" Naruto asked, not halting with his petting of the fox.

"Well, since I'll be your nee-Chan from now on, I want to get to know you more."

The little blonde looked at her with confusion. "What do you want to know?"

"hmm. The basics I guess. Name, likes, dislikes, hobbies and your dreams." She answered, giving him a smile. "I'll start. My name is Higurashi Kagome. I like my friends, you and spending time with the people I see as my family. I hate traitors, abusers and all people with ill intentions. My hobbies are training, cooking and now, teaching you. My dream is to someday make people see that there's nothing wrong with being different."

"Wow! Now, it's my turn!" Naruto whispered loudly so as to not startle the foxes. "M y name is Uzumaki Naruto! I like you, and Hokage-jiji and training... Oh and ramen! My hobbies are training, sitting at the swing by the academy and... Um… gardening. I'm going to be the future Hokage of Konoha, 'ttebayo!" the kid said confidently.

Kagome smiled at the boy but raised an eyebrow at him. "What about the things you don't like?"

At that question, Naruto looked down and mumbled something. It was low enough that Kagome couldn't hear, even with her advanced hearing.

"What was that, Naruto? I couldn't hear you."

"I hate it when the villagers ignore me or look at me in that way?" he answered, lowering his head to look at the ground. It was barely above a whisper but it was enough for the woman to hear. Kagome frown at that. What made Naruto to get upset by that?

"Naruto," Kagome called, reaching out to touch the blonde's shoulder. The action made the kid look up and make eye contact with the woman, albeit a little hesitant about her reaction.

Kagome gave him a smile to ease his uneasiness. " Why do the villagers ignore you? And what do you mean when you said you hate it how they look at you '_in that way'_?"

The kid looked to the ground once more, tears building up in his eyes but refusing to cry.

"I don't know. They just ignore me. It's always been that way, ever since I could remember. And when they do notice me, they always have this look in their eyes like they want me gone. That they don't want me there." The boy sniffed at the end of his explanation.

Smiling sadly at the boy, Kagome stood up, being careful of the foxes around them. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, releasing it a few seconds later.

Smiling – this time happily- she looked at the still sniffing boy.

"Ne, Naruto." She called, making him look up to her with tear-filled eyes. "I'll let you pick one fox here and let you keep him. That way, you'll have a friend."

His eyes lit up in excitement, the tears drying up. "Really?!"

She nodded. "Yup! But you have to promise me that you'll take care of it, okay?"

"Okay! I promise I'll take care of it, 'ttebayo! That's a promise of a lifetime!"

Kagome could only smile at the boy's antics as he chose which fox he'll take home.

**~~ I am JEWELS… OBEY ME! ~~**

_(Ignore her, she's delusional)-Spirit_

Malicious red eyes glowed ominously at it stared at the endless dark void it resided in. owner of said eyes smirked evilly as slowly, a strong aura of pure malice envelope the form. It covered the creature in a sickly dark violet color that seems to leek of evil.

"_Soon, little miko, soon. You, along with the jewel and everything else in your possession will become mine. It's only a matter of time before you succumb to my will.'_

The creature closed its eyes but the smirk was still there. The dark violet aura flared wildly before completely dissipating, taking its creator with it.

**~~ I bring gifts! (throws snakes at audience)~~**

_(JEWELS! Stop that!)_

While watching Naruto pick his fox, Kagome suddenly felt a great feeling of dread and dark aura. Turning her head slightly to look behind her, she stared at the cave entrance with narrowed eyes.

She felt a flare of the aura before disappearing completely. For a moment her eyes flashed, turning the sapphire orbs into an icy blue before returning to normal. She growled low in her throat, not wanting Naruto to hear. The hidden marks across her arms glowed for a split second before disappearing again when she heard Naruto.

She turned to look at him, only for her to see the little blonde carrying a dark orange fox with black-tipped tail and ears. The blonde ran up to his adoptive sister and gave her a smile.

"Nee-Chan! I already picked one. His name is Katsumi!"

Ruffling the blonde's hair, she smiled at him. " Well, come on then and let's take your new friend home."

Naruto grinned widely and nodded. Smiling once more, the duo walked out the cave with their new friend.

"_I won't let you or anyone else hurt my new family. Not again, not anymore. I'll protect them with my life and that's a promise of a lifetime."_ Kagome swore in her mind.

**R&R**


	3. A New Family Member

**Jewels: Yo! I'm back, my little minions! Did you miss me?**

**Spirit: Hey, minna! It's been a while. Sorry for the late update. I've had a busy schedule so I couldn't upload this chapter.**

**Jewels: I'm not sorry. I've finished this chapter ages ago. You just won't give me your password so I wasn't able to upload it myself.**

**Spirit: That's because the last time I gave you my password, you changed my entire profile. You even typed up and uploaded one of the stories in my notebook!**

**Jewels: Hey! It's not my fault you have your notebooks lying around. And you have tons of different stories in different notebooks. You won't die if I uploaded one.**

**Spirit: it was not lying around. It was in my room, under my pillow! And I choose what story I like to share to those I want to keep to myself.**

**Jewels: Yeah, yeah, just shush. Anyways, here's the next chapter. I tried to make it longer than the previous ones 'cause Spirit said it would make it up for being late.**

**Spirit: Happy Reading! Remember to review!**

**Chapter 3: **

**A New Family Member**

Kagome was in their backyard, holding a bow with an arrow already pulled. Naruto was sitting on a bench and petting a contended little fox sitting on his lap, away from Kagome to avoid any accidents. He was watching his sister train with her bow and arrows, amazed at how she could hit the bull's eye in every target.

After a few more shots with her bow, Kagome walked towards the targets to collect the arrows embedded in them. After putting her arrows back in her quiver, she turned around and smiled at Naruto, who immediately jumping up from the bench and ran towards his sister, followed by his new pet/friend.

"You were great, nee-Chan!" Naruto complimented. Kagome smiled at him and ruffled his hair as thanks.

"Come on inside, Naru. I'm going to teach you how to write and read kanji." The female said, already on her way inside the house.

"Aw." Naruto whined, "Can't you just teach me how to shoot arrows and fight or any other cool ninja stuff?"

"Come on, Naruto. I told you already that you need to improve yourself mentally and physically. You need both to be adequate in the shinobi arts."

Naruto stuck out his cheeks and pouted." Fine..."

Kagome beamed at Naruto. "That's my otouto. Now come on in. the sooner you start, the sooner you can finish." She said, holding the open so Naruto could run inside.

After eating breakfast, Kagome got some books and taught Naruto how to read and write kanji, as he could already read hiragana and katakana just fine. They started with the easier of the kanji, going over the characters in details. Kagome soon found out that Naruto was a fast learner and already knows most of them. They also started on practicing Naruto's penmanship.

Lunch came and Kagome called for a break. She cooked omelets and rice then fried some sausages. Naruto set the table while Kagome finished cooking some rice. He put a bowl filled with meat, some cooked and some are raw, at the feet of the table for Katsumi. He then sat patiently at the table while he waited for Kagome to sit on her seat after putting down their drinks.

As soon as Kagome was seated on her seat, Naruto grabbed his chopsticks. "Ittadakimasu!** (sp?)** "With that, he began to eat his fill.

With a small smile, Kagome muttered a quiet 'Ittadakimasu' and followed her little brother's lead, albeit in a slower pace.

"Ne, nee-Chan," the boy called as he finished his meal, "what did you do before you came here?"

Kagome swallowed the food in her mouth before answering. "Well… I was a shrine maiden, a miko. Something happened and I decided that I would like to travel some so I could see the world."

Naruto tilted his head to the side as he looked at his sister. "Then, why would you stay here? I mean… you said that you wanted to see the world."

"I found a little fox that needed a family." She said, standing up and putting her plate in the sink. "I thought that I wanted to be his family more than I wanted to see the world. That's why I stayed." She ruffled his hair.

"…Thanks, nee-chan." He said, giving her a genuine happy smile.

She giggled before heading towards the front door. "Hurry up, otouto! Put your dish in the sink and let's go jogging!"

"Hai!" he did as instructed and ran up to his sister. "Come on, Katsumi!" he yelled at his fox friend.

Both boy and fox ran up to the woman waiting patiently for them to catch up to her.

**~Spirit cried like a baby when she watched Miracles in Cell No. 7!~**

_Jewels, SHUT UP!_

A small figure ran in the forest in a hurry, leaving no trace but the rustling of the bushes. It stopped in a small clearing to look at its allocation and sniffed at the air, revealing itself as a cat with two tails.

Its fur was creamy white. The ears, however, were black-furred and the tails has two black rings each. There is a noticeable black diamond on its forehead. The most eye-catching feature of the cat was its eyes. They were red with a dark bluish-green pupil.

Her ears twitched as it heard a rustle in the bush opposite it. Kirara tensed and hissed at the bushes, preparing herself for an attack. A few seconds passed and the cat had yet to let down its guard. Her ear twitched once more and the cat jumped from its position, just in time to avoid the pounce from a tiger.

The tiger growled at its prey while the cat hissed back, both of them sizing up the other. They began to circle, waiting for an opportune time to attack. The tiger moved first, roaring as it pounced towards the small cat. Said cat jumped on its head and used it as a platform to leap to the air. While in the air, the cat was suddenly covered in flames.

The flames died the same time it landed on the grounded. The small cat was now bigger than tiger, its fangs protruding from its mouth. It gave a growl to the tiger as the tiger crouched, ready to pounce once more. Before the tiger could attack, the two-tailed cat leaped into the air and landed behind the striped animal. The cat gave another growl before biting into the tiger's neck and throwing it to a nearby tree. The tiger hit the tree and fell down, knocked out by the force of impact.

The cat released a growl of satisfaction before flying off to the air, its feet catching on fire to keep it on fire. The cat flew for a good few minutes before landing a few miles away from the village of Konoha. It transformed back to its small kitten-like state before darting off, running the few miles towards the village.

It was already afternoon when it arrived near the gates. The nekomata stayed away from the sight of any patrolling shinobi, waiting for the time to show itself.

Kagome and Naruto, along with their fox, were seen running/jugging around the village. Kagome was jogging leisurely, easily taking the lead while Naruto was huffing and panting as he lagged behind, Katsumi right beside him.

The young woman slowed her pace so her brother could catch up to her.

"Let's take a break for a minute, otouto. You look like you could fall down and faint."

"I… would… like… that…" the boy replied.

She smiled, though Naruto couldn't see. "There's a park up ahead. Let's go there and rest." She saw a nod from him in the corner of her eye as they ran towards the nearby park.

They sat on a park bench as Naruto and Katsumi tried to catch their breaths. Kagome giggled softly as she watched them take in much needed oxygen in their lungs.

"We need to work on your stamina and endurance." She commented as she gave him a bottle of water she got from out of nowhere. "Though you lasted longer than any normal boy your age, you need to be able to run faster at much further distances than that. We're going to jog around the village for at least an hour everyday to build up your stamina."

Naruto released a sigh of relief after gulping down the water. He blushed lightly at the compliment, happy to receive one from a person important to him. Although he was a little put off from the thought of running for an hour, he gave a determined nod.

"I understand, nee-Chan!" he exclaimed. "I'm going to be the best ninja there is, 'ttebayo!"

She laughed as she ruffled his hair. "Of course. You have me as your teacher, after all."

They heard a yip as Katsumi jumped onto Naruto's head, reminding them of his presence. Naruto grinned at the fox as he reached out a hand to pet the little fox.

"And Katsumi is going to be the best animal partner there is!" he said as the fox yipped in reply. Kagome just smiled as the blond continued to talk to the fox as it gave its yips as replies.

.

.

.

Though Kagome said that they would only take a break, she let them play at the park instead of continuing their run. She sat on the park bench, smiling as she watched the boy and the fox chasing each other. She laughed when she saw Naruto got tackled down to the ground by the little fox.

She was about to call them so they could continue their run when she felt the flare of familiar youki. She flared her reiki for a second to locate the nekomata's position. When she felt the youki flare once more in response to her reiki, she smiled.

"Naruto! Katsumi!" she called out, "Come on! We better continue our run."

"But nee-Chan!" the little boy whined as he and his fox ran back to her. "I want to play more."

"Come now, Naruto." She chided the blonde. "We only have to run towards the gate and pick up a friend of mine. After that, we can go home and you can do whatever you like until dinner."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yes, Really."

He smiled at her confirmation before looking at the ground worriedly. Kagome notice his actions and asked, "What's wrong, Naruto?"

"You... you said that you were picking up a friend." He said quietly. "What if she doesn't like me? What if… what if she asked you to go with her instead and then... then you'll leave with her? I… I don't want you to live me, nee-Chan." He hugged her waist as tears gathered at his eyes at the thought of losing his sister.

Kagome smiled as she hugged the boy reassuringly. "You are so silly, Naruto."

She crouched down and dried the tears from his eyes. "Don't worry. She's not taking me away from you. Besides, I think she'll like you very much. Now come. Let's not make her wait longer than she has to."

He gave a nod as the three of them jogged towards the gates.

.

.

.

The group of three slowed down as they came near the gates. They stopped at the guardhouse and Kagome went in front to talk to the two chunin guards, telling the other two to stay.

"Um... excuse me." She tapped the shoulder of one guard, disturbing him from the book he was reading.

The guard with a bandage around his nose turned and looked at Kagome. "What is it, miss?"

Kagome looked at the ground and played with her fingers, pretending to be nervous.

"Uh… you see… it's my pet… a c-cat…" she said, stuttering in purpose.

"What about it?" the other chunin asked, not looking up from his book.

"Well… it... um… it ran o-off… out… out of the gates." She answered. "I was… uh… I was h-hoping you could…um … let me out? I'll just call for her and… and then I'll go back."

"What do you think Izumo? Should we let her?" One asked the other.

The chunin just shrugged. "Let her. Just don't let her out of your sight.

Kotetsu nodded. "Alright, miss, you can go. Just don't go too far."

Kagome gave him a smile and a nod before walking out of the gates. She walked a few feet away and called out to the trees.

"Kirara! Come on girl, come here." She called.

A rustle was heard out of the bushes as the small cat walked out of it and towards Kagome. She picked it up and pets it as it gave a soft purr. "It's nice to see you too, Kirara."

She continued to pet the cat as she walked back to the gate.

"Thank you for allowing me to go out." She said to Kotetsu and Izumo. " I appreciate it very much.

The guards, who were back to reading their own books just shrugged and waved her off, not even bothering to look up. She, too, just shrugged and walked towards Naruto.

The boy had at on the ground while throwing a stick, Katsumi fetching it and giving it back. She smile at him as he stood up, waving and grinning at her.

"Naruto meet Kirara." She said, letting Kirara jump down from her arms. The nekomata gave a purr as it nuzzled his leg.

The blonde smiled and crouched down, petting the soft and silky fur of the cat. "It's nice to meet you, Kirara. I'm Naruto and this is Katsumi."

The fox stared at the cat and gave it a sniff. The russet-colored animal circled the cat before giving her a yip.

"Looks like Katsumi likes you, Kirara."

Kirara just gave her chirp-like meow. Kagome giggled before calling the attention of the boys. "Come on, guys. It's time to go home." She received nods as replies.

Naruto ran with his sister and their pets/friends, happy that his family is growing.

**R&R**


End file.
